subject: The Very Best Cooking Tips On The Internet [print this page] Sometimes your kitchen can feel like an office. You can make it more exciting by approaching cooking as your new hobby. Your kitchen will suddenly represent a world of possibilities and a chance to prepare meals that will bring your family together. Below are a few ideas to get your hobby started on the right track.
Will you be making a meal using fresh basil? Take a large bunch of this fresh herb and place it in a glass. The stems should be thoroughly covered in water. Store it on the counter of your kitchen; it will stay fresh for weeks. Most often times, basil will actually take root in water. Trim your basil plants back a bit to encourage new growth, and keep enjoying your basil for a long time.
It is not unusual to slip up and accidentally add excess salt to a dish you are preparing. Fortunately, there are solutions! To remove some of the saltiness, peel three potatoes, chop them in large pieces and add them to your simmering sauce for 15 minutes. Believe it or not, the potatoes actually remove the excess salt from your sauce. If the recipe involves tomatoes as a base, you can throw in more to reduce the salt.
It is important to have great cutting utensils at your disposal in your kitchen. Dull knives waste time and can mash food instead of cleanly slicing. Sharp knives are safer to use, too. Dull knives have caused many more accidents than nice, sharp ones.
To reduce the fat content of your soups or stews, try starting with low-fat or fat-free broth in the beginning. Use a lot of vegetables and lean meat to help to keep the soup low in fat. As soon as the soup is done cooking, put it in the refrigerator to chill. The fat will rise to the top and congeal. The congealed fat can then be removed with a spoon and discarded. For each tablespoon you remove, you can save about 100 calories.
Make all the preparations for your food before you begin to cook it. This allows you to economize on the amount of gas or electricity used when cooking, and keeps you from becoming distracted and accidentally getting injured by something like hot oil splashing out of a pan.
If you cook using herbs and spices, keep them stored under dark, cool conditions to preserve their freshness and flavor. Do not store herbs and spices in cabinets over the stove, and avoid storing them in other warm areas, as their flavor will dissipate and you will have wasted your money.
If your family is losing interest in having the same frozen sweet corn all the time, then try blending it with something. One easy way to add unexpected flavor to corn is to mix it with coconut flakes for a taste of Thai.
If you're dealing with a vegetable or fruit that you aren't familiar with, you should take the time to learn more information about it. You may find that your research leads to many great new ways to use the food. You can have much more fun when cooking if you do some prep work and research ahead of time.
Use the ideas presented here as a jumping off point for your own ideas. You are capable of cooking the sorts of meals that people linger over and that friends and family rave about. Cooking is a hobby that can enrich both your diet and your life. Your kitchen will be the place everyone wants to be.
